This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-140616 filed on May 15, 2002, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle air conditioner with an arrangement structure of face ducts. More particularly, the present invention relates to arrangement positions of face opening portions provided in an air conditioning unit of the vehicle air conditioner.
2. Description of Related Art
In a conventional vehicle air conditioner, an air conditioning unit for controlling temperature of air blown from air outlets into a passenger compartment is disposed at an approximate center inside a dashboard (i.e., an installment board portion including an instrument panel) in a vehicle right-left direction. At an approximate center area on the dashboard, two center face air outlets are provided to be arranged in the vehicle right-left direction. At two end portions of the dashboard in the vehicle right-left direction, side face air outlets are provided, respectively. On the other hand, at an upper part on a vehicle rear surface of an air conditioning case, four opening portions are arranged in the vehicle right-left direction. Two center opening portions among the four are center face opening portions, and the other two opening portions at two sides of the center face opening portions in the vehicle right-left direction are side face opening portions.
The center face opening portions of the air conditioning unit and the center face air outlets on the dashboard of the vehicle are connected by center face air ducts, and the side face opening portions of the air conditioning unit and the side face air outlets on the dashboard of the vehicle are connected by side face air ducts, respectively. Because the center face air outlets are provided opposite to the center face opening portions, the center face opening portions and the center face air outlets can be connected by short and straight center face ducts, respectively. In such structure, flow resistance in the center face ducts is made smaller, and a required flow amount of conditioned air blown toward a face area in the passenger compartment can be readily ensured.
However, when the center face ducts are disposed in a layout shown in FIGS. 13, 14, the flow amount of the conditioned air blown toward the face area of the passenger compartment decreases due to an increase of the flow resistance in the center face ducts. The layout shown in FIGS. 13 and 14 is experimentally set and is studied by inventors of the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, at an upper part on a vehicle rear surface of an air conditioning case 11, two center face opening portions 19 and two side face opening portions 20 are arranged in a line in the vehicle right-left direction. On the other hand, center face air outlets 21 provided in the dashboard P are offset from the center area in the vehicle right-left direction, in consideration of the design of the dashboard P. Generally, an interval L (shown in FIG. 13) between the face opening portions 19, 20 and a center portion P1 of the dashboard P in the vehicle front-rear direction is small (e.g., about 30 mm).
Accordingly, the center face ducts 22 need to be formed with extremely curving shapes (shown in FIG. 13) within the small interval L in order to connect the center face openings 19 and the center face air outlets 21. Consequently, the flow resistance is increased in the center face ducts 22, and the required flow amount of the conditioned air blown toward the face area of the passenger compartment cannot be ensured.
In view of the above-described problems, it is an object of the present invention to reduce flow resistance in center face ducts, in a vehicle air conditioner having center face air outlets that are provided in a dashboard of the vehicle at two end sides of an air conditioning unit in a vehicle right-left direction.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an arrangement structure of face ducts through which conditioned air from an air conditioning unit is blown toward an upper side of a passenger compartment in a vehicle air conditioner.
According to the present invention, an air conditioner for a vehicle includes an air conditioning unit for conditioning air to be blown into a passenger compartment. The air conditioning unit is disposed behind the dashboard substantially in a center area in a vehicle right-left direction. Further, the air conditioning unit has at least two first face openings through which air conditioned in the air conditioning unit flows toward a center upper side in the passenger compartment, and at least two second face openings through which air conditioned in the air conditioning unit flows toward right and left upper sides in the passenger compartment. In the air conditioner, the first face openings of the air conditioning unit are coupled to first face outlets that are provided in the dashboard at positions adjacent to a center portion in the vehicle front-rear direction, and the second face openings of the air conditioning unit are coupled to second face outlets that are provided in the dashboard at right and left end sides. In addition, the first face outlets are arranged in the dashboard at positions opposite to right and left end sides of the air conditioning unit, and the first face openings are provided in the air conditioning unit at the right and left end sides in the vehicle right-left direction. Accordingly, the center face ducts for connecting the first face openings and the first face outlets can be formed substantially straightly without a great bending. Thus, pressure loss in the first face ducts can be reduced, and a flow amount of air toward the center upper side in the passenger compartment can be effectively increased.
Preferably, the second face openings are provided in the air conditioning unit at a center area in the vehicle right-left direction, and the first face openings are provided in the air conditioning unit at right and left sides of the second face openings in the vehicle right-left direction. Therefore, the first face openings can be provided opposite to the first face outlets, and the arrangement structure of the first face ducts can be made simple. Thus, each of the first face ducts can extend substantially straightly in a vehicle front-rear direction.
Preferably, the second face ducts have crossing portions which pass above the first face ducts to cross extending directions of the first face ducts, and the second face ducts have end opening portions that are connected to the second face openings inside the crossing portions in the vehicle right-left direction. Therefore, pressure loss in the second face ducts can be restricted, and the arrangement structure of the first face ducts and the second face ducts can be made simple. Further, the air conditioning unit can be effectively used for a vehicle having at least one of a navigation system, an air conditioning operation panel, a radio and an ashtray at the center portion of the dashboard.
The air conditioning unit includes an air conditioning case defining an air passage through which air is introduced into the first and second face openings, and a partition plate that is disposed in the air conditioning case to partition the air passage into a first passage and a second passage in the vehicle right-left direction. In this case, the air passage has a normally open passage through which air conditioned in the air conditioning unit is always introduced to the second face openings, and the normally open passage is provided in the partition plate. Because the normally open passage is provided in the partition plate, the die structure for molding the air conditioning case can be made simple.
Further, in the present invention, it is possible to provide the second face openings in the air conditioning unit outside the first face openings in the vehicle right-left direction. For example, the second face openings are provided on right and left side wall surfaces of the air conditioning case.